Rheem Solar Loline (gas boost)

DO NOT BUY THIS UNIT!!!!! – This unit is only 2 years old and already having issues with it. Green light and red light flashing, knocking in the roof and rattle in tank when red light is on. Avoid the Solar loline Water Heater 511161!!! Over $5000 might as well flushed my money down the toilet. Shame on you Rheem charging $200 call out fee!!!! Show details

Avoid at all cost – Hot water system failed just over 4 years old. Rheem wanted us to pay $261 just for someone to come and look at it. Very poor quality. ACCC should look into rheem quality and protect consumer more. Stay away from rheem or you will regret. Show details

Why Rheem Solar Loline still selling. Its so bad. Don't buy – Why Rheem Solar Loline still selling. Its so bad. Don't buy. My RHEEM 220L solar loline gas boosted system is just over 6 years old. It has leaking water from solar panels and cost to replace panels, just panels is $2415. I would not buy or recommend this product. They should stop selling this failed product.  Show details

Red needs attention light on, and gas bill was 105% more than this time last year! – Problems as per heading. Called plumber, charged $700 to replace pump. Red light still on, showing "needs attention"? Plumber coming back today to try and sort out what is the problem. After reading reviews I'm not too confident of the package we have bought. Cost $5000. Does anyone have any more updates on these systems. We bought solar, gas… Read more

boosted because we are pensioners and wanted to save money and get hot water from the sun because $350 a week on the pension each does't go far. When the plumber came out he had so much confidence in the system that he said we should just disconnect the solar system and use the Rheem26 instant directly, bypassing the solar panels and storage system? He gave 3 options, re-arrange copper etc. to existing gas booster and delete storage tank and remove. $570 + GST, 2 cost to supply & install new rheem 26 lts as instant hot water with new vales etc. $1895.75 plus GST, then 3 option, cost to replace existing pump on gas boosted solar rheem hot water service for $636. plus GST. We decided to go with the 3rd option, replacing pump, but the red light is still flashing "needs attention". Plumber coming back today. Not particularly happy with the outcome so far. I would appreciate any information anyone has, there is only two of us and it seems to be a lot of money for a shower a day?!

DO NOT BUY RHEEM. Terrible products fail prematurely. Poor warranty and customer service – DO NOT BUY RHEEM. Terrible company. Their warranty is deceptive - 5 years on the tank which is highly unlikely to fail, yet only 1 year on pump, booster and solar collector. Our $5,000 system failed after 3 years, $700 repair bill and they did not want to know us. Had a cheap Chromagen solar system form another home build, and it was going strong… Read more

after 7 years at half the initial cost!

Lodged a complaint with WA Consumer Protection, and they stood fast and would not help us, not even with part of the cost.

Perfect – Our technician Fixed the sensor and a part that was in the component.we have hot water again. Thankyou again for a job well done.very happy with our rheem water service. Show details ·  1

Terrible system which doesn’t last the distance – This system has been running hot and cold water for a while and now has suddenly stopped producing hot water. Not sure how a system with less then 4 years of use have problems and not work. Definitely not buying anything with Rheem ever again. Show details

Terrible – This system has been terrible from the start, hot water would run hot and cold while having a shower, has Rheem plumber out( whom charge like a wounded bull) to tell me it's my fault cause I didn't use enough hot water, then he took the water saver out of my shower head and told me that would fix it!! It didn't ,lol, it still ran hot and cold in… Read more

the middle of a shower. Now it has been leaking water from the top of the solar storage tank, so I got a different plumber to disconnect tank, he said gas bill will be higher, cause no solar connection, but I don't care as long as I can have hot shower the whole way threw, this has been a terrible and expensive experience no thank to the Rheem plumber

Waste of money - doesn't work and Rheem won't fix iy – What a frustrating experience. The system has died on us after two years. We live 35 min from Canberra but Rheem will no travel to even look at it. There solution is to send a repairman from an hour and a half in the other direction but we pay his travel costs. What a complete waste of money. The system just sits there, doing nothing. The hot water boosts off the instantaneous gas. Do not go near this product or company.  Show details

Absolutely shocking warranty repair service – Unit has never worked from day one. Given two whole day waiting appointments which were cancelled with no advice given. On both occasions I have to call up only been told technician was unwell on first appointment. No explanation was given on second cancellation. On one occasion I was offered their appointed service agent which I have to pay… Read more

despite the unit is still under warranty. I had no choice as tenant has serious skin condition and wanted repair done at all cost. Unit failed again a day after their service agent done the repair. They have no shame on their terrible behaviour and dared telling me that I must accept the same waiting whole day third appointment. Only after my refusal to accept and asking to talk to their CEO and seeking compensation, a 08:00am, supposed to be first appointment of the day was arranged. Yet, on the day, the technician did not show up until 09:30am. Just wonder if the CEO (Mr Jones) is aware how the rest of his company is dragging his performance and wanted to know and fix this issue.

Getting tired of the annual breakdown! – The system works pretty good and is quite cheap to run until the hot weather hits! Every year around January the connectors on the solar panels split and create a spectacular fountain of hot water gushing high into the sky. The first couple of years I've called a plumber and had it fixed for a large sum of money. Being somewhat resourceful over… Read more

the last 6-7 years of this happening annually I've learned to isolate the system and buy the $20-$30 connectors and o-rings and fix it myself! This January just gone was no exception to the problem except this time the connector itself was even more poorly made than usual and couldn't be installed! Back to the plumbing supplies for me on Monday! (Again)!

Absolute Junk – The system failed on Friday evening, so no hot water for the night. I live in an estate where all the houses have a similar system, I spoke to neighbours on both sides of the house and they tell me they have had the same issues of failing systems. Calling Rheem this morning and stating that I have read all these reviews and issues with this lemon… Read more

of a system I would like someone to come out and look at the system (will be the 3rd time Rheem will be coming out to look at the system). They know that this system is a lemon and should endeavour to repair it at their expense! This product should have been recalled, very unhappy!

Avoid Rheem like the Plague – Came with the new house .The red flashlight has been flashing from the beginning and the buzzing sound from the pump was abnormal and we reported it during the the warranty inspection with the builder They said everything was normal. Now after 5 years , we have noticed that the only the gas booster is warming the water and the pump and the… Read more

flashlights are not working.I dont how long this has been doing this for.

Callouts from Rheem and parts are ridiculously expensive.

Will never get a Rheem again

8th Call Out In 4 Years – Rheem have been again and replaced the timer for the third time. To their credit it was a free call but given the last time it was replaced was less than a year, they are required under warranty to replace it. The way it is going the whole unit will have been replaced in another couple of years. Rheem must know this model is a lemon and should give us all an extended warranty or replace the unit with one that is reliable.

Avoid do not buy, terrible aftermarket service – Have got a newly built home with a Rheem solar hot water plus gas boost. The system is no more than 1 and a half years old and is leaking from the roof. It has been for a few months, but I have just noticed now. I rang Rheem in regards to coming and fixing the fault, as the pipe is corroded. So one of 2 things have happened: 1) using second hand… Read more

parts for the install, or 2) being leaking since install. They informed me "bad luck"; not covered under warranty but they can send a service rep to come and look at it at $143 call out fee, just to tell me it won't be covered. Then I have to pay for parts and labour on top.

So not only has it failed well within the warranty 1 year for parts, they will not back up there product or service. My advice is stick well clear as it is a sub-par product and even worse after install care!

Don't get Rheemed – I have had the Gas Boosted Solar Hot Water system for around seven years, costing $4,500 and its never saved us a bean. Sure... when it was working correctly it dropped our gas bill by half. Trouble is it breaks down so much and by the time you pay for the regular maintenance costs as per the operating manual your savings on gas go straight to… Read more

Rheem to pay for servicing, we have had multiple breakdowns leaving us with-out hot water, costing over a $1,000 in repairs to replace pumps, control boards, valves, timer etc that's excluding the regular maintenance costs. When the Solar part is not working you don't really know until the next gas bill comes in and then you have already lost 3 months worth of savings.

I don't think Rheem is directly at fault, I believe it is the concept at fault, no supplier has a truly reliable fault free Solar HWS solution.

If you are thinking of installing this type of system I would look at Solar PV powering a standard electric HWS on a timer. A simple system with no moving parts to break down

Rheem Solar Premier Lowline – January 2014.I am disappointed that only approx 3.5 years after installation, it needs to be repaired. I have been quoted a minimum of $1100 to replace and install the pump and the control board. This seems expensive shelling out a minimum of $1100 for a system that is only 3.5 years old...It actually ended up costing $1158. 9 July 2014 -… Read more

Follow up. Just had Rheem out again as the hot water system was not working due to a blockage. The total cost of the repair was $143.00 as the blockage was not under warranty.... Not Happy!

Total cost for the 6 months = $1,300!!!! Helpful service desk Expensive to repair

no solar heating because temperature sensor plugs were reversed – Important Info!! being a sparky, and actually getting to talk to a Rheem tech over the phone, I discovered that the plugs from the temperature sensor in the roof panel and the one in the tank were swapped, causing the pump to never bring hot water down from roof!! I reversed little black plugs in panel, the green led starting it's 3 flashes and… Read more

pump came on. My gas bill has now dropped by 70% ... no apology or refunds from Rheem, no surprise :( now get heating from the sun!! rheem install checks obviuosly non-existant costing me $500 in gas bills !!

Very Poor Product - Please Avoid All costs (and it will cost!!) – I live on a housing estate in Melbourne and every house in the estate was fitted with a Rheem Loline solar boosted gas hot water service. Since we moved to the estate more than half the houses in the estate (according to the residents association) have had to have Rheem out to fix sub-quality plastic connectors between solar panels and the… Read more

pipework back to the storage cylinder. Rheem then replace the plastic seals with brass seals (at the homeowners cost – about $500) and the problem goes away. Last week my panel connectors started to leak.

So today I phoned Rheem and said that given that so many of the panel connectors in my estate had failed I would expect that Rheem would replace them at their cost – obviously the original seals are not fit for purpose. Rheem said that the plastic seals were installed on purpose as "sacrificial seals" – designed to fail before the main solar panel in cases of extremes in high and low temperature. I have Googled extensively and can find no documentation to support Rheem's stance on "sacrificial seals" ....in fact my research shows that there are numerous other components and features of the heater that are designed to cope with high and low temperatures. The fact that Rheem are now recommending the installation of brass seals further confuses me – why are these plastic "sacrificial seals" no longer required? And why design a sacrificial seal which fails at a repair cost of $500 rather than a simple pressure release value or similar?

I think I'm getting jerked around by Rheem and frankly I think that their product is not fit for purpose. Their failure to offer to fix at their expense what is clearly a defect in the goods they supplied is disgraceful.

I was thinking – if this was a car then Ford or Holden would issue a recall notice and the dodgy component would be fixed no cost and no questions asked. I think the same standard of behavior should be followed by businesses like Rheem. Please don't buy a Rheem product without considering the type of after sales service and ethics of a company that can't admit that it has problem. When it works I get hot water Connector failure is extremely common and very costly to repair

Terrible – I inadvertantly commented on the Electric Boost Page when I have Gas Boost however the powered portion is not the problem, it is the fittings & Solar Collectors (as per everyone elses complaints on the 'Electric' LoLine Page). I just paid $850 after 5 years of operation to replace pump & PCB and ceramic connectors. Now pursuing with Consumer… Read more

Affairs. What's the point of saving on your gas bill if you have to pay $850 every 5 years to fix it? Alleged energy savings & being able to do my bit for the planet. Repair costs, still no hot water on a 40 degree day AFTER paying $850 to have it fixed. Pathetic use of Bakelite for the solar connectors - repair now uses Brass Connectors.

Terrible – Never would recommend a Rheem to anyone. Shame as they are a name I grew up with when quality was important but they let the ball drop. Came packaged with new home 'bundled' Bad install , had to change pump within the first year (luckily was under warranty) bad choice as we only have LPG so your on your hands and knees to relight pilot every LPG… Read more

tank change over. Thing had a burn out ? so doesn't work now at all. Will replace with electrical boost - only after 30 months - no warranty left. Sorry I didn't buy another brand and pay more up front.

Terrible – Rheem used to be OK but after this Loline fisaco I will never use one of their units again. Their repairs costs are incredible. Costs savings may be true for electric, but in the case of gas I am not convinced. Combining the initial installation costs (putting panels on roof, unit costs, etc), it would be years before you'd break… Read more

even....assuming it even lasts beyond 5 years. Once you get a break down then you are well and truly in the negative. This is another example where a consumer can get the warm green fuzzies that they are being environmentally friendly, but the environmental impact of making all the additional parts for a solar boost unit probably generate more CO2 and pollutants. In theory the solar boosting will help reduce heating costs. Rheem engineering is substandard. The estate that I live is about 6 years old and its like a comedy, everyone's Rheem solar unit is starting to fail so you see Rheem out here ripping everyone off.

I've had the following problems:

1) Solenoid failed, meaning that the unit could not turn on the gas to heat the water. Normal plumber cannot fix because its part of the electrics. Rheem wanted $400 to fix it, noting that the Rheem solenoid replacement was almost $200. I'm an electrical engineer so got the exact same solenoid elsewhere for $70 and it works perfect.

2) Solar collectors use plastic connectors, these break down under the extreme conditions on a room combine with UV exposure. One of these connectors fractured, Rheem wanted $700 to fix, I told them I will bypass the solar collectors and just use the gas booster only. Monies that would have been spent repairing now sitting in the bank to be used on a new unit, this time an AquaMax....I had one of these and it worked flawlessly. Note that a plumber who lives in the same estate was charging estate residents $300 to replace the plastic parts with brass parts, which also come from Rheem. Looks like Rheem realised their flaw and snuck in brass connectors.